started a probiotic with my 6 mo old-- anyone else have this happen?

[yellowfrog]

Hello.... long story short.  I have been completely dairy and soy free for several months, my 6 month old son is exclusively breastfed.  He has had mucus poop all the time since he was born.  It got better when I stopped the dairy and soy but didn't go away.  He tried some solid foods (homemade squash, avocado, and pear) and his poop got more mucusy.  I have tried many many things and now I am trying a probiotic-- Solaray BabyLife (dairy free), and giving it to him directly.  He has had it for 5 days now.  His poop became extremely mucusy at first, and now has changed to a darker color-- like dark green.  It's consistency still isn't great but it isn't filled with mucus.  Anyone else have an experience of poop changing after starting a probiotic?  We've been to so many doctors and specialists, and no one has helped us.  They all say that mucus in poop isn't a concern if he's gaining and looks healthy.  An allergist did give him an FPIES diagnosis but I don't understand how he fits into that diagnosis at all.... very frustrating!

Thank you!!!

[BabySmurf]

wish i could help! my ds had similar issues, and i cut out wheat along with soy, just because i figured...why not? and he got better very quickly (once the dairy was out - i did that first then eliminated soy and gluten when he was still mucusy).  when i "challenged" the wheat, he got really mucusy and green again.  now the mucus is coming back again, along with his eczema.  the mucus is a sign of an inflammed GI tract, so i definitely wouldn't ignore it.  i haven't tried a probiotic yt, so i don't know how that affects the poo....i would try to work things out, but don't beat yourself up over it either.  ::hugs!:: it is really hard to work through this

[CoBabyMaker]

The probiotics aren't going to fix it overnight.  The disappearance of the mucous is a good sign though.  Have you tried removing any other allergens from your diet?  I would hold off on giving solids to baby if possible until you get things straightened out.

[yellowfrog]

Originally Posted by CoBabyMaker 

The probiotics aren't going to fix it overnight.  The disappearance of the mucous is a good sign though.  Have you tried removing any other allergens from your diet?  I would hold off on giving solids to baby if possible until you get things straightened out.

Oh yes, I know that they wouldn't fix things overnight-- my question was more about whether I should be concerned that his poop quickly changed colors and what that might mean.  I'm definitely being patient and giving it another week or so before trying something else.  My next step will be cutting out wheat which I'm really not looking forward to.  Yep, we haven't given him solids for a few weeks and have no plans to.  Thanks!

[scsigrl]

FPIES to what? Is there a possibility of something slipping through?

[yellowfrog]

Originally Posted by scsigrl 

FPIES to what? Is there a possibility of something slipping through?

I don't think the allergist knows what she's talking about... she gave me an article to read to learn about FPIES, and the article states that an exclusively breastfed baby can't have FPIES. 

[scsigrl]

Originally Posted by yellowfrog 

I don't think the allergist knows what she's talking about... she gave me an article to read to learn about FPIES, and the article states that an exclusively breastfed baby can't have FPIES. 

I am not sure about this but that's like saying they can't have allergies.  A protein is a protein. If it gets into the Mom's milk, ti can get to the baby.  You did say your baby is exclusively breastfed. That's not technically true if you have tried solids.

Does your son vomit profusely after eating something?  This usually happens about 2 hours after exposure with FPIES. Have you done a food log?  So you can see what you may have eaten that could trigger the diaper issues?

[Momo123]

With respect to the probiotics changing the color and consistency of the poop, it is definitely possible. I'm not sure what dosage you are giving, but it might be more gentle to increase the amount very slowly until you get to your desired dose. If the gut was very damaged and you do a regular dose right away, it might cause a die-off reaction since the intestinal flora is being disrupted (not in a bad way necessarily, but it's still a dramatic change). 

I've experienced it personally myself, but it's harder to tell with an infant. Did he have any other changes besides poop?